13 posts tagged “britpop”
One day, back in 1992 or so, I was listening to the radio, and on came what sounded like a brand new song by Robert Smith and the Cure! Fun, jingly, and with an incredibly catchy chorus, I was surprised when the radio DJ announced it was in fact, a group called Presence!
Presence? Who the heck were these guys? And why did they sound so much like the Cure? Back in the days before the Internet, one couldn’t attain such information so easily! Then one day, after playing the song (which I had now known was called “Act Of Faith”), the DJ offhandedly stated that it was a song by a new group from a former member of the Cure! “So!” I thought to myself, “Robert Smith has split up the Cure, and formed a new group called Presence!” Right?
Well, no, not really.
I was to later find out by way of a magazine (ah, back when information was only found in the printed word!) that although it WAS a former member of the Cure, it wasn’t Robert Smith at all (who was quite happily still with The Cure, thank you very much) but Laurence Tolhurst, one of the original members, first as a drummer, then later on keyboards, before leaving (under circumstances I still don’t know for certain) the group after the Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me Album.
So it was Laurence Tolhurst’s group! Then I thought to myself, “Wow, I never realized how much he and Robert Smith sang alike! It must be all that time working together that did it! Right?
Well, no, not really.
You see, after his departure from the Cure, Tolhurst reunited with Michael Dempsey (he himself another ex-Cure member) to create an almost doppelganger sounding group to the Cure itself... As for the amazingly Robert Smith-ish vocals, they’d simply gotten Gary Biddles, a talented singer who sounded like a exact clone of Robert Smith, to fill Robert’s shoes!
Sadly, the group never really caught on, and their album Inside turned out to be their one and only release. But for what it’s worth, it’s quite a catchy record, and for light-hearted pop tunes, it certainly satisfies, and is still a joy to listen to!
Presence:
Gary Biddles/ vocals
Alan Burgess/ drums
Roberto Soave/ bass guitar
Rob Steen/ guitar
Lol Tolhurst / keyboards
Chris Youdell / keyboards
Sometime during the early eighties, a peculiar PV began airing on Night Trax starring a Lucille Ball-ish singer in a very kitschy retro-50’s style video called “They Don’t Know”. I’d later learn the woman was a popular British entertainer named Tracey Ullman.I was directed towards the video by a friend who knew my love of The Beatles, and one day the video came on and he told me, “Hey, you should check this video out- at the end of the song, her boyfriend turns out to be Paul McCartney!” Well, he was right, and I found the video, with Sir Paul as a country bumpkin truck drivin’ fool and bubbly Tracey as his lil’ lady, was so sweet and charming, I fell in love with the song in an instant!
Although no more significant singles came out of Tracey, she’d would later become a household name when she started her TV show The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 (the skit show most famous for launching the careers of The Simpsons), and she'd go on to star in the award winning HBO shows “Tracey Takes On…” as well!
Fast forward to the year 1994, where Britpop music had taken over my life. My favorite groups at this time were the usual suspects like Belly, Lush, Darling Buds, Sundays, etc, and I was a big collector of these giant CD collections called VOLUME (fill in the number) that featured new and unreleased singles of the latest Britpop outfit!
VOLUME 10 had just arrived, and I immediately snatched it up as it featured both Tiny Monroe and Echobelly as well as a new song from Lush. Listening to the CD, I was plasantly surprised to hear a group called GIGOLO AUNTS doing a VERY Beatlesy rendition of the Tracey Ullman song!! Their version was so jangly and poppy (rather Smithereens-ish in tone), I ran about, getting all of my friends to listen to it!
It has since become one of our very favorite tunes, and the point was never clearer than when my friend Gerg found his copy of VOLUME TEN had oxidized(!) and wouldn’t play any more! He called me in a panic, first making me make sure that MY copy was okay, then begging me to burn him a copy so he could still have the song! I, of course, happily did so!
Fast forward again to around 2001, and I’m listening to a newly released greatest hits package of artist Kirsty MacColl’s work called “Galore!”, a collection I wanted for favorite tunes “Walking Down Madison”, “Innocence”, “I Can’t Stop Killing You”, and the catchy Smiths cover of “You Just Haven’t Earned it yet, Baby”, but was surprised to find what I assumed was another cover of “They Don’t Know”…and found out that the tune was originally written and recorded by Kirsty herself- Tracey Ullman and Gigolo Aunts had been covering KIRSTY all along!
Listening to Kirsty’s version was quite stunning- to hear the “actual version” which sounded so sincere and melancholy really hit home with me. But you know, in their own way, all the versions of the song are terrific, whether it be the Tracey Ullman version, the Gigolo Aunts one or Kirsty’s original song, so I decided to cobble together the three versions of Kirsty’s beautiful, upbeat and utterly unstoppable tune for everyone to lend an ear to- there’s no doubt in my mind that you will like at leat ONE of the versions of this song- it’s just TOO GOOD!
You've been around for such a long time now
Oh maybe I could leave you but I don't know how
And why should I be lonely every night
When I can be with you
Oh yes you make it right
And I don't listen to the guys who say
That you're bad for me and I should turn you away
'Cos they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
I get a feeling when I look at you
Wherever you go now I wanna be there too
They say we're crazy but I just don't care
And if they keep on talking still they get nowhere
So I don't mind if they don't understand
When I look at you and you hold my hand
'Cos they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
Why should it matter to us if they don't approve
We should just take our chances while we've got nothing to lose
Baby
There's no need for living in the past
Now I've found good loving gonna make it last
I tell the others don't bother me
'Cos when they look at you they don't see what I see
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
But they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
No I don't listen to their wasted lines
Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs
But they don't know about us
And they've never heard of love
©1979
Granted, I've loved everything Tanya has done since her days back in the Throwing Muses, from her first album offering Green through The Real Ramona's Not Too Soon, her work with Kim Deal in both Breeders and This Mortal Coil, and her own projects including Belly and her self-titled albums, but 'Vanilla" is really a rare gem, one of those hard-to-find songs that are worth every minute and penny of your searching, because the reward of getting your hands on the tune is SO heart warming, catchy, full of Tanya Donelly goodness.
Just the other day I was telling my friend Gerg that I consider Tanya one of the finest songwriters out of that whole Alt/Rock movement, in MY opinion , anyway!
The pic on the side isn't the cover for Vanilla, by the way, as most fans will recognize it as the cover to "The Bright Light", but the blurry cover of the Pretty Deep 7" isn't so great, and Tanya looks just fantastic on this cover, so I opted for this one instead!
Man, if there ever was a hall of fame for "Feel Good songs of the 90's", The Sundays ultra-catchy song "My Finest Hour" surely gets my vote! The penultimate track off of the band's debut LP "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic", one feels that they only tacked on "Joy" after it because the end would have been too uplifting for the album to end!
A melody about the eternal hope of finding that special someone in your life, tinged with the self-deprecating bitterness (a la Morrisey) all Sundays tracks seem to have, happy or not!
And who can resist the winsome Harriet Wheeler cat-calls at the end?
British Alternative magazine SELECT would occasionally give away free music cassette samplers of upcoming / rare tracks from groups like Gene, Lucy’s Fur Coat, and Lush as a free bonus shrunk-wrapped with their issues.
On one of these fantastic collections, there was an incredibly catchy, jangly pop-perfect tune called Love of the Bottle, by new indie Britpop group Tiny Monroe. Fast- paced, and sassy, I fell in love with it immediately and knew I wanted to have a “hard” copy on CD (we all know how temporary those cassettes are), and I made a mental note to grab the release when it came out.
When the CD from Tiny Monroe called VOLCANOES came out, however, I was shocked to find the version on the album being QUITE different from the version on the cassette that I’d loved for so long! I was utterly baffled! Was the version on the sampler a single version? Or a work-in-progress? I do know that the LUSH song on the same sampler, a song called “The Childcatcher”, was a demo form, which was ALSO quite different from the LOVELIFE release, so maybe that was it.
The Album version was slower, more rock-oriented, and NJ’s voice was double-tracked during the choruses. The entire structure of the song seemed different, with new guitar breaks and guitar riffing during the second verse. Oh, and there were new vocals overlaid over the lead-out, as well… a LOT more polished, but where was that happy, poppy song?
In any case, although I did like the Volcanoes version and the Album in general (esp. Cream Bun), part of me wasn’t satisfied, knowing I was still missing my favorite song from the band! What I ended up doing was taking that precious SELECT cassette to a friend’s house, and having him rip it to MP3 for me. I know it ain’t “State of the Art”, but at least I can relax, knowing that my song won’t warp or demagnetize out of my life when I try to listen to it!
Hey, if there’s anyone out there who knows exactly what the scoop is with the cassette version, I’d really appreciate if you’d drop me a line!
NJ (vocals)
Richard Davies (guitar)
Steven Walker (guitar)
Garry Becker (bass)
Dan Neumann (drums)
My beloved SELECT Cassette Sampler Version:
And the Polished, Rocking Album Version:
"Don't let them reduce you to pieces!"
I first heard of of Lush when their album Spooky conquered the College Radio charts. I remember being impressed because that album sat at the top of the college chart for weeks! But there was so much great new music coming out around that time, I wasn’t even sure I’d heard any of their songs on the radio yet. It wasn’t until months later when a friend brought over the Spooky LP that I discovered I already DID like a song of theirs, the awesome For Love, which had been in rotation while that album was dominating the college airwaves.
About a half a year later, I started working nights at an Art Studio with this really cool guy named Steve, who became my alternative music guru. One night we were talking about musical groups we were fans of, and he asked me, “Do you like 4AD Groups?” I had to pause and think before asking, “Wha…what ‘s 4AD?”
He explained that 4AD was a music label ,a pretty eclectic music label, at that, and he was an absolute fan of the groups in the roster. He was especially appreciative of 4AD’s unique artistic covers, featuring moody dreamlike designs by Vaughan Oliver.
He then proceeded to run down the list of some of his favorite artists on the label, and there were a few that I actually DID like, such as Cocteau Twins, Clan Of Xymox, Pixies, and his favorite group at the time: LUSH!
I mentioned that I DID get to hear the album Spooky, and I did like that song of theirs “For Love”, but didn’t really know too much more about them. He asked if I’d ever seen how the group looked, in particular the lead singer, to which I answered a polite, “No.”.
He smiled and said, “O.K…I’m gonna make you a VHS tape of some of their videos.”
Well, Steve was true to his word, and the very next week, he gave me a videotape with maybe six or seven LUSH videos, and quite frankly, yes, I was blown away! The songs were just terrific, the group looked cool, and the two girl vocalist / guitarists, well…what can I say? They were just beautiful!
The VHS tape Steve made for me had a the PV for “For Love”, as well as a few other videos for songs I only vaguely remembered hearing from Spooky, “Superblast!”, and the ultra-gorgeous “Nothing Natural” vid. He also included earlier songs from the band that I just fell in love with as soon as I heard them, “Sweetness and Light”, and a beautiful video for what has become my favorite clip of Lush, the incredible “De-Luxe”. From that point on, I was hooked! The two LPs that were out, GALA and SPOOKY, became some of our most-played discs at that studio late at night!
When I started working at Tower Records, I met a couple of really cool chicks named Christl and Leigh, and boy, these were some MAJOR Lush fans…I remember their lockers were covered with Lush pics, and as I recall, Christl was even in the Lush fan club, or at least had access to the fan club letters (which printed LYRICS, a must for the burgeoning Lush Fan!), and she really widened my scope of the world of Miki and Emma! (Christl also was a big TORI AMOS fan along with me, and she even introduced me to the band IVY, as mentioned in a previous post!) It was a wonderful time, because I made friends with these big fans just as Lush was set to release their NEW album, SPLIT! There was a LOT of excitement that year, I tell you!
Not only was there new LUSH music to listen to and learn, but there also was a whole slew of new Lush VIDEOS to get and love! Then the crowning present that year came when my friend Herb visited a Music store in Pennsylvania and bought me a COMPLETE Bootleg LUSH CONCERT! This was the famous Texas show, and I was simply blown away. To see them performing an entire concert was incredible, the quality was A+ perfect, and Oh My did Miki look just GORGEOUS! What a Gift!
It’s probably around this point that I morphed into a manic “must have it all” Lush fan, and I soon discovered there were TONS of Lush songs out there, tucked onto flip-sides, One-off compilations and EP bonus tracks, that needed to be acquired! Soon I was picking up different 4AD single variations, collections like “Alvin Lives in Leeds” and those terrific “Volume” series for collectible Lush stuff!
There were these three cool musicians I knew (Ray, Jon and Misti, by name!), who loved Lush as much as I did, and they invited me to play in a side-band project they had which did very Miki Berinyi-ish shoegazer music! I happily agreed, and for a while there, we were rockin some pretty nice tunes! We even did out version of “I wanna Be Your Girlfriend”! Ah, happy times!
In 1996, one of my dreams came true when LUSH announced they were coming to Hawaii to play in a little venue called “Nimitz Hall” to promote their brand new CD, LOVELIFE! Me and my friend Larry made our way down to that gig, and MAN, we were not disappointed. We got choice viewing positions on a balcony that looked right above the club stage, the scene couldn’t have been better if we were sitting front row!!!!
Miki and the gang started the show with “Heavenly Nobodies”, and I immediately started laughing, for this was their way of saying to the adoring crowd, “Don’t worship us-We may not live up to your standards!”
They ran through their catalog of hits, but the song that really knocked our socks off was their blistering performance of “Runaway”…the song was just POUNDING!, Miki and Emma’s soaring vocals never more spot-on! And of course I don’t have to say how great those two gals looked!
Miki had this habit of putting her guitar pick in her mouth whenever she changed guitars, and a lucky friend of mine managed to catch the pick when she flicked it into the audience. The next day, he showed it off, and I was in awe as I examined the pick – Miki’s pink lipstick was smudged into all the cracks of the “Fender” relief logo!!!
Sadly, as everyone knows, Chris would take his life a few weeks after this gig, and the wonderful group of LUSH would separate for good. When I think about it, I feel so blessed that I got to see them, because a few weeks difference and the concert I saw would never have happened. That makes me savor my memories even more. And even though the group is gone, I’m still collecting their stuff, only now instead of looking forward to the new releases, It’s acquiring those old/rare/unreleased/bootleg stuff still waiting to be discovered! Every time I acquire a new collectible or song (boy, ya shoulda been there when I finally got a copy of “Sweetie”!), it takes me back and reminds me what a fine group Lush was, and still is!
An uplifting and encouraging song, telling you that everything's gonna work out alright, with its infectious "Groovin" Young Rascals vibe!
"One day, things won't seem the same way, I know!"
While the “newer” version of Thoughtforms became (to me) the ‘real” version of said song, Scarlet’s two versions both had different things to offer for me. The newer version was more polished and dreamy (and bears a slight resemblance to “Monochrome”) while the ealier one was more “raw” in sound, almost live. It was THIS version that I slowly found myself attached to, especially during the choruses where Emma’s Guitar chords sound positively sonic following the lines “But What’d you say” and “When nothing’s meant? ”, “What’d You Do” and “When all is Spent?”.The tone of the guitars have this “british” feel to it and I for some reason, it reminds me of “Sparks” by The Who,,,
In fact, the huge, dreamy guitar washes during the lines “No one to fall…in love” and the subsequent spirally guitar picking behind the lines “Facless, faithless night…vanity’s delight” all have decidedly Townshend-ish flavouring, at least in my opinion, and that’s a major Who fan talking here!
Years ago, a cool friend of mine named Christl made me a tape mix of a peculiar new group by the name of IVY. They struck me as a sort of 4AD sounding band, and of course I fell in love with them immediately. The tape she'd made for me was from Ivy's first EP LATELY, and songs like "Wish it All away" and " Can't Even Fake it" are faves even to this day! From there I got their album REALISTIC which featured even more delectable songs like “Get Enough” and “No Guarantee” , ensuring me that this was a group to keep abreast of! I spent many afternoons wallowing in their dreamy, ethereal sounds...loving it all!
IVY was a group comprised of Dominique Durand, Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger, the latter most well known for his group “Fountains of Wayne” as well as those super-catchy Beatlesly songs off of the “That Thing You Do” Soundtrack. With all this stuff going on, its no wonder we didn’t hear very much from IVY for a while…
Fast forward to 2001, and suddenly, after we’d all but given up on them, we heard word that Ivy was coming out with a new album called LONG DISTANCE! We all gave a collected sigh of relief- we’d really convinced ourselves that IVY was nothing more than a one-time side group for the talented artists that was never to be again!
This being 7 years since their last album had me wondering if the group would still sound the same- I didn't quite know what to expect, but NOTHING could have prepared me for their "new" sound- HUGE, droning, saturated and TOTALLY ATMOSPHERIC!
Songs Like "Blame it on Yourself","Lucy Doesn't Love You"and "Digging Your Scene" still retained that jangly IVY sound a bit, but it was in songs like "Edge of the Ocean", "Midnight Sun" and the incredible album opener called "Undertow" that I realized just how much IVY had "evolved" from its earlier days, and in a totally good way!
Heck, the short-lived Sci-Fi series of alien abduction returnees THE 4400 even used one of Ivy’s songs on the show because their moody, mysterious sound fit the theme of the show so well!
The group then released a package of songs they’d covered by other artists like Steely Dan, The Go-Betweens and the Cure, which seemed to be a throwback to their “earlier” sound, but they were back in fine form for the awesome albums APARTMENT LIFE and IN THE CLEAR, as well as shining in side groups like PACO, which seems to be a real “offshoot” of the IVY sound, developing more into electronica than the IVY albums proper!
The wistful song that stole my heart and made me an IVY fan for life!
Jangly, upbeat opening track for their album “Realistic”..I just love Dominique's delivery, especially in the bridge where she sings: "I can be a monster if I want to be, but he's got me beaten by a landslide...He's just crazy!"
The song that redefined IVY’s sound and opened up a whole new avenue in their style...
Incredibly moody and atmospheric!
Sassy song with a very “4AD” flavored guitar refrain!
Another dreamy pop masterpiece..suitable for long drives at night!
Visit IVY at their website at
thebandIvy
Youtube-ing around for old Tanya Donelly Belly PVs like Feed the Tree and Gepetto (the original PV with Belly as a trio, not the slick remake with Gail Greenwood), I came across a wonderful treasure-trove of old Throwing Muses performances from 1987, 1988 and 1991 and spent the night reliving the glory days of Tanya and her original partner (and half sister) Kristen Hersh. These were performances from the Hunkpapa and Real Ramona era, and I just drank them up! It made me sad to think that the two sisters weren't working together anymore.
Imagine my surprise when I came across clips of a semi-unplugged concert taken only a few months ago (last October) featuring Tanya and Kristen together, performing their old Throwing Muses hits! WTF?! HOLY CRAP, I was just taken aback! A real dream concert appearance!
Some kind soul had uploaded maybe ten to twelve clips of this incredible concert featuring songs like Sinkhole, Rabbit's Dying,and Pandora's Box, but the one clip I watched over and over again was their performance of Red Shoes, one of my favorite tunes from my favorite Throwing Muses record, The Real Ramona.
The two sisters have always had a real dynamic approach to guitar playing, with each girl "overlapping" over the other one to create this very intricate sound (that they dubbed "Math Rock"), and I think this song is a really great example, with Tanya's very 4AD flavoured slide guitar gracing Kristen's guitar picking...
A terrific performance... when are these gals gonna get together and make a new Throwing Muses album proper?
(Yes, I know that Tanya guested on the Muses last album, but that doesn't count! Let's get a Tanya/Kristen co-written album and get either Fred Abong or Leslie Langston back into the studio with them! Of course, David Narcizo's gonna be in the mix as well!
Crossing Fingers....
Sometime back in the mid-nineties, I picked up the latest import UK magazine SELECT to get my latest dose of 4AD goodness, and in the lower corner of the cover was a small picture of MORRISEY (he, of course, of SMITHS fame)along with a blurb declaring:
In this Issue! Moz Speaks!
then in parentheses:
sort of.
The hilarious thing is, rather than conduct an ACTUAL interview with Morrisey, they simply cobbled together an interview where all the replies from Morrisey were actually snippets from SMITHS and MORRISEY songs!
It was so funny and pretty entertaining to read, all the while you're reading the thing, you're trying to figure out where each of the stray “quotelets” came from! At the end of the article there was even sort of a giveaway, where you could send in your guesses and try to win a Morrisey “Fun Pack”!
Here’s a lengthy excerpt from the “interview” SELECT had with the Mozza!
MOZ SPEAKS! (SORT OF)
A cup of char, Morrisey?
Oh, Very nice, very nice.
Jaffa cake?
Very nice, very nice.
Do you take sugar at all?
Two lumps, please.
Here...sorry about the tray.
(He inspects it…) It’s a hideous tray. Absolutely vile.
You OK? You look a bit peaky.
(Sniffing) I’ve got this terrible cold coming on, and it’s driving me mad.
I’m feeling very sick and ill today. There must be something horribly wrong with me.
In which case I’m doomed. Oh well, I’ll take it slowly.
I’ve got some paracetamol…
Interesting drug. Hand it over. (He lumps down two).
Anyway, Morrisey. The SELECT Interview.
At last, At last, At last!
You’ve shunned interviews of late, haven’t you?
Well, here I am. You don’t need to look so pleaased.
It’s nice to finally meet you.
(He waves a hand dismissively…)
The pleasure and the privilege is mine.
Let’s talk about Johnny Rogan’s book. Have you read it yet?
I don’t want to talk about the books I read. There’s more to life than books, you know.
Yes, but not much more. Ha ha.
(Coldly) It’s so easy to laugh.
So you haven’t read it, then?
No.
Why’s that?
(A lengthy pause, then…) I can’t see. I am blind.
Come off it, Mozza. the kids won’t fall for that one.
Truly, truly, truly. Oh, it’s childish and it’s silly.
And It’s also a lie. What, then, did you really think of the book?
(After a measured pause…) A reasonably good buy. But so many blank pages! And so many illustrations!
But a reasonably good buy.
And of Johnny Rogan?
He knows I’d love to see him. Or I think he does. (Sighs) Maybe in the next world.
Let’s talk about the new single “Look Lively With Your Guitar, Young Fellow Me Lad”…
Ask me! Ask me! Ask me!
Here you seem to be succumbing to a spiralling vortex of misery and self loathing.
Well, that goes to show how little you know. I’m not the man you think I am. (Leaning forward conspiratorially) I break the news to you gently- I’m only human!
We always had you down as a miserable old bastard.
Yes, well, I’ve changed.
But the new single’s a severe disappointment.
It’s crap, I know. You don’t have to tell me.
The lyrics are really lame.
(nodding sadly) Same old jokes…
It’s about your friendship with Johnny Marr,isn’t it?
A friendship sadly lost. Well, this is true. (pause) and yet it’s false.
How is he? We heard he was in hospital.
He had an accident with a three-bar fire.
Christ! What was he trying to do?
Burn down the disco. Well, It happens a lot round here.
Is it true that you’re now writing with the drummer out of Northside?
Yes. You could say we’re a team.
Good old Northside. They were miles better than the Paris Angels,weren’t they?
(Nodding empathetically) They had more worth.
And then they just…disappeared.
They were born and then they lived and then they died. It seems so unfair. I want to cry. (Sniffles)
Please don’t cry, Morrisey.
(Sobbing) I’m so sorry. You know it makes things hard for me. Now you make me feel so ashamed. Please excuse me.
It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone you’re a great big soft girlie.
(Still whimpering) I’ve got faith in you. I think I can rely on you. Oh, hug me. Oh, hug me.
Pull yourself together,man.
People are looking at us.
(Testily, through tears) If the people stare then the people stare. Spineless swines.
Sorry.
No more apologies.
Really sorry.
No more, no more apologies. I’m too tired. I’m so sick and tired. People like you make me feel so tired. When will you die?
Steady on, you’re getting a bit out of order here, pal.
You deserve it! Deserve it! Deserve it! Deserve it! (walking towards the door) Get out of my way! I want to go home, I don’t want to stay…
But Morrisey, this interview was supposed to be your olive branch for The Kids!
Oh, I’ve changed my mind again!
Goodnight and thank you!
Anyway, one Sunday, MTV's 120 minutes debuted (among other things) Saint Etienne’s brand new video for their song "You're In A Bad Way", and I was just blown away. The song was so catchy, the lead singer was so gorgeous, and the video was so kitschy!
The following Monday night at work, I excitedly gushed to Steve,"Wow, did you see that new St. Etienne song? Its so awesome, the lead singer is such a babe", etc, etc...” As you may have guessed, I was really taken in by this video!
Then Steve slowly smiled and pulled a CD out of his backpack...What was is? Why, it was Saint Etienne's new CD "So Tough", featuring their new song..."You're In A Bad Way"!! Sure enough, he was right on top of things, and had just purchased it earlier that day!
Of course I went nuts and we listened to that album over and over again that night while we worked! After that I became a big St. Etienne fan myself, and purchased my own copies of both Foxbase Alpha AND So Tough! Not to mention falling in love with Sarah Cracknell…(and who hasn’t)!
The lead-in to You’re in a Bad Way on the CD is a snippet of dialog (that I later learned was from the classic Billy Liar movie) where some gent says, “Of course London’s a big place…It’s a VERY big place, Mr. Shadrach…a man could lose himself in London. Lose Himself. LOSE Himself. LOSE…HIMSELF…IN LONDON!!” This was just a terrific opening, I thought, and I always included it whenever I put "You’re In A Bad Way" onto Cassette compilations I made for myself and friends.
Years later, in the advent of burned CD compilations and Ipod playlists, I was horrified to find out that the Billy Liar dialog was cut in half between "You’re In A Bad Way" and the previous track for “Avenue”. So unless I included “Avenue”, the song started with only the very last line of “Lose himself in London!”( kind of like the above Scopitone video clip’s track opening)…
I didn’t know what to do til I turned to my friend Saburo, who managed to record the track for me with the entire passage intact by recording the snippet at the end of Avenue and the body of You’re in a Bad Way and then ripping a brand new MP3 of the song! Yatta!
Just the other week, I was putting together another CD collection, and while setting up the track lists for the burner, saw that Saburo had written in the MP3 track info:
“Of course London’s a big place…It’s a VERY big place, Mr. Shadrach…a man could lose himself in London.
Lose Himself. LOSE Himself. LOSE…HIMSELF…IN LONDON!!”
Ahahahahahahha!
Long Live Saint Etienne!
Someone recently told me Sarah Cracknell reminded him of Scarlett Johanssen. This comment about Sarah’s looks got me to remembering about a time when a friend of mine told me she didn’t like how Sarah looked because she "didn’t imagine her looking like that”. My friend had assumed that since Saint Etienne were named after a city in France that the lead singer must look like Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister fame or something…
Imagine her surprise when she saw pretty Sarah all Blond and veddy British!
The classic scene in Billy Liar where Billy utters the famous “London” lines..
